Report 552
Report #552 Skillset: Skill: MonkDamageMod Org: Nekotai Status: Rejected Nov 2011 Furies' Decision: We do not agree with the premise that monks need additional damage types or that it is unfair or imbalanced, and on that basis reject his report. Problem: REPORT 697 introduces 1/6 skill-based, damage type mods for warriors. Given the 2/6 damage mod available on 500 credits worth of damage type runes, warriors can alter 50% of weapon's natural damage type. On the other hand, monks split damage between 1 blunt, unarmed kick and 2 weapon attacks (Nekotai & Shofangi cutting, Tahtetso & Ninjakari blunt). Weapon runes do not effect monk kicks, and therefore halves impact of damage type runes on total damage output. As an aside, I suggest the admin not to shoehorn monks into warrior weapon rune system. Create a new set of monk specific runes that addresses the weapon / unarmed split. For example, decrease the credit cost if "weapon only" or increase the scope to also cover unarmed actions such as punches and kicks, not chokes, locks, throws or enders. 125 for one weapon rune, and 250 for a kick rune seems appropriate given it would convert 1/3 monk damage to a new type. Off the soapbox, I agree with the mentality of REPORT 697 that warriors (& monks) should also have tuning-like abilities. This report suggests skill-based, damage mods for kicks in particular. 0 R: 0 Solution #1: Give monks a 3 power defense confer 33% an alternate damage type on unarmed attacks through new secondary and tertiary skills. These skills are mutually exclusive and cannot be stacked with one another. SECONDARY: Stealth "Shadow Fist" gives excorable damage. Harmony "Lumin Strike" gives divinus type. TERTIARY: Psychometabolism "Psychic Fist" gives psychic damage. Acrobatics "Choking Strike" gives asphyxiation type. Remember, 1/3 damage mod on kicks equates to 1/6 total damage output. 0 R: 0 Solution #2: Give a new skill to poisoners to distill certain poisons into an "elemental oil" to be ENVENOMed or COATed onto a weapon for 1/6 alternate damage type. Skill to have same duration as Oil of Sharpness. Ideas include: pyrotoxin distilled into fire elemental oil, mactans into cold, mellitin into electric, crotamine into poison, escozul into psychic, etc. If this is OP, could balance by blocking poison envenom while elemental oil is applied. This could work with Solutions 1 and 3, or as a replacement to REPORT 697 0 R: 0 Solution #3: Alternate to Solution 1, create a new primary spec, kick-specific, alternate damage mod. Considering monk damage bonuses (i.e. wounds, prone, kata mods), the requisite ka cost should be balanced towards PVE. Since monks max PVE forms at 250 ka, offer one 25% alternate damage mod to kicks at 375 ka cost (to be used in a 4mo form). A second 25% damage mod should stack with the first given an additional 375 ka cost (to be used in a 5mo form). I'll leave it to comments for suggestions which guild should be assigned what damage type(s). Player Comments: ---on 10/8 @ 15:57 writes: This report is really wordy. We might want to try condensing it down. That said, I love solution 2. Love it! Only thing is that I'd like to see it last longer (around the same time period as Oil of Sharpness). ---on 10/9 @ 03:04 writes: I'd prefer solution 3 for monks given that report 697 is attempting to address the warrior side ---on 10/9 @ 08:07 writes: I prefer solution 2 as an alternate to report 697 (heh, if that is even possible). Other than that, I believe solution 3 will be the most balanced approach for monks. As per Xenthos, this is November's report. I am aware that I need to revise several more times to improve clarity and reduce word count. As such, I will not delete/(re)create like I did last time (losing Rivius' support of solution 2), nor change the main idea of each solution... only improve the wording. This report feels somewhat too large for the "scalpel" approach to envoy, and have forum suggested it fall under the scope of Sojiro's report. ---on 10/15 @ 15:54 writes: I do like solution 2 for the additional benefit it gives to the poisons tradeskill, which probably needs a little breath of life. ---on 11/7 @ 22:05 writes: This report was written to parallel REPORT 697 which was rejected. Therefore logic dictates 552 also has a likely chance for rejection. I'll wager the report on two premises. First Ninjakari / Tahtetso are 100% blunt and do not have the inherent switch between a cutting weapon and blunt punches. Secondly, the effect of weapon runes are halved due to unarmed kicks. Both lead to one conclusion: monks have constrained options to damage mod. The question remains as to whether a lack of significant damage mod is mitigated by sustaining 75% damage output (raze, weapon, kick) during shield razing in PVE. I would ask any commenters to take report 697 into consideration, AND to also evaluate the report as it relates to monk-specific issues. ---on 11/15 @ 23:16 writes: Unsurprisingly, I too also like solution 2. ---on 11/26 @ 13:07 writes: Not many outside comments, so I wanted one more attempt to refocus the problem in the wake of 697 failing. Kicks account for 1/2 of monk's damage and wounds. Weapon runes do not apply to unarmed actions, therefore weapon runes have half- effectiveness for monks. This would be analogous to a Rune of Demense having half effectiveness for mages when compared to druids. This is especially relevant because of mobs now having damage type resistances / susceptibilities. Shofangi & Nekotai can at least go fully unarmed to switch from half cutting to full blunt. Tahtetso & Ninjakari do not have that flexibility. Since artifacts are outside the scope of envoy, I've selected to address the resistance gap through skills. Solution 3 would nearly bring monks up to par with warriors, and more heavily address PVE. This could also be combined with solution 2 which has envoy appeal.